DVD and Blu-ray Releases for November 18th, 2014

November 19th, 2014

There are no summer tentpole releases making their home market debuts this week, but that doesn't mean it is a bad week on the home market. 22 Jump Street is leading the way, while there are four other first run releases among the new releases, ranging from If I Stay to Sin City: A Dame to Kill For in terms of box office numbers. Not only that, but this week there are a trio of Hayao Miyazak releases, including his more recent film, The Wind Rises, which is coming out on DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack. That film, along with the double-shot, are the Picks of the Week. However, they are not the only films worth picking up. If you like horror / comedy, give Housebound on DVD or Blu-ray a try.

22 Jump Street - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
The biggest hit of the week and one of the best comedy sequels ever. It's rare for a comedy sequel to do as well as its predecessor. Unlike Sci-fi sequels or fantasy sequels, there's not a lot of world building happening in the first film. Because of that, you can't simply tell another unique story in the same universe, so in order to be connected to the first film, the plot of the sequel has to be too similar to the first film. As such, the sequel tends to come off as a remake with the same actors. The Hangover franchise is an excellent recent example of this. This movie doesn't fall for that trap. Additionally, the DVD and Blu-ray are loaded, with the Blu-ray having a significant amount of exclusives. Easily worth picking up and a contender for Pick of the Week.

Automata - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
A Sci-fi thriller about a post-apocalyptic world where robots protect the few remaining humans. When one breaks its programming to protect, Antonio Banderas has to investigate. It is an interesting setup, but the reviews were weak. Additionally, the only extra is a five-minute making of featurette. Maybe if you really like the genre it is worth a rental.

3D Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon: The Bubble
A film from 1966 being released on 3D Blu-ray. I haven't found many reviews on line,but most of them are quite bad. That said, if you like B-movies, then this one should be worth a try.

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
This is the oldest film I've ever reviewed and arguably the first horror film ever made. Obviously the genre has evolved since then, but is this film still effective? Or does its value come from an historical perspective? Read our review to find out.

Housebound - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
A horror comedy, which is a tough genre to pull off. Usually these films are not funny enough to be a good comedy and / or not scary enough to be a good comedy. The reviews suggest the film manages to hit both ends of the genre. The extras are limited to an audio commentary track and deleted scenes, but that's enough to be worth picking up.

If I Stay - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
A Young Adult Adaptation. This film earned weak reviews, but the main complaint was the film was emotionally manipulative rather than emotionally moving. However, if you are a fan of the genre, this particular problem is common, so it might not be as big of an issue as it was with critics. Extras are impressive with two audio commentary tracks, although the second one is merely a select scene commentary track. It details the songs chosen for the film and why. It is close to an hour long, so it is not an insignificant extra. There are also deleted scenes, with optional audio commentary, a 15-minute long making of featurette, etc. Worth picking up, if you are a fan of the movie.

Into to the Storm - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
One of the weaker wide releases of summer, at least as far as critics were concerned. It did okay at the box office compared to its production budget. Extras include a trio of featurettes, which isn't bad, but it isn't enough to overcome the reviews.

Jeff Dunham: All Over the Map - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
This Blu-ray arrived unannounced on my desk last week; however, I won't be reviewing it for two reasons. Firstly, I never know what to say when it comes to reviewing stand-up comic releases. Additionally, I don't like ventriloquism. I will be giving it away in our next box office prediction contest starting this Friday.

The Johnny Worricker Trilogy - Buy from Amazon: Turks & Caicos and Salting the Battlefield
The first part of this trilogy, Page Eight, came out three years ago. The first one earned plenty of nominations and awards, but there are not a lot of reviews for the two new installments. [Copy Ed: They were not as strong as Page Eight, but were still enjoyable.]

King of the Hill - Buy from Amazon: Season 7 and Season 8
It has been four years since this show was canceled, but we still have two seasons before its DVD run is over.

One Piece: Season 6: Voyage Two - Buy from Amazon: DVD
An Anime title that appears on the top page of the Amazon's new releases list. This is rather rare, but One Piece is popular here.

The Paradise: Season 2 - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
A British TV series set in 1870s about a woman working as a shop girl during a time where the society was changing. Its reviews are great, but like many British imports, the price-per-minute is really high.

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
The first movie had a lot of style and that helped it win over critics and moviegoers. Nearly a decade later, the sequel has the same sense of style, but it doesn't seem as fresh and as a result the reviews were weaker. The box office numbers were a disaster. A Tomatometer Score of 44% positive isn't great, but it certainly doesn't explain the $14 million box office run. The first film opened with twice that much. Extras include the ability to watch the entire movie with the green screen backgrounds, but only in high speed mode. This could have been a great picture-in-picture feature, but no one does those anymore. Next up are a handful of character profiles, as well as featurettes on the stunts and the make-up. It is worth picking up for fans of the first film, even if it is not as good as the first movie.